


Kurushimi

by Living_in_SCoups_eyelashes



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Being gay is not an issue, M/M, References to Depression, breaking up, doctor doyoung, eventual vanilla smut, i hope i shed light on TBI even the tiniest bit with this, love development, renjun is fun and definitely NOT scary, taeil tried his best too please dont hate him, winwin constantly disoriented and unable to speak, winwin is a softie okay, yuta trying his best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-14 22:12:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14778242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Living_in_SCoups_eyelashes/pseuds/Living_in_SCoups_eyelashes
Summary: When met with guilt, one must avoid making permanent decisions based on temporary feelings.Sicheng encounters an accident that leaves him with traumatic brain injury, almost paralyzing his entire body. Taeil, his boyfriend, takes care of him but breaks soon after. What will Yuta, who is filled with heavy burdened feelings, do upon seeing Sicheng's situation?A fic of battling with TBI.





	1. Stage 1: Denial

“What’s your name? Do you know where you are?”

  
The patient clad in white merely stared at the nurse with a blank expression.

  
“Sir? Can you hear me?” The nurse slowly pat the small of his back, trying to coax him gently to answer or even utter a single word.

  
“Si” He lifted his head slowly and looked directly at the nurse’s eyes. “Cheng”

  
After stating his name, more nurses entered the room in an attempt to check every possible skin on the pale boy. One was on the heart monitor as the other was injecting drugs from vials into his intravenous drip. The previous nurse kept talking, explaining everything to Sicheng. The patient however, stared at the sky blue ceiling seemingly lost in thought - if he had any. “Your name is Dong Si Cheng. You’re in Seoul University Rehabilitation Center. You’ve been here for 3 months now and it’s the first time you’ve awoken since the accident.”

  
As if on cue, the Chinese boy violently turned his head and screamed at the nurse. “Bring me back! No! I want to live!” 3 nurses surrounded him, trying to restrain his legs as his arms were jelly-like. “Bring me back…” The confused boy’s head was filled with images of blood flowing from his own body, unconscious people, and an unfamiliar road. It hurt him physically and his only option was to thrash around. They had no choice but to sedate him.

  
Once the commotion was over, a doctor stepped in with an MRI image in his hand.

  
“Good morning Sicheng.” He directed his attention at the patient on the bed.

  
“He had to be sedated Dr. Kim.” All the nurses stared at him waiting for his instructions.

  
“You could have told me before I entered?” He clicked his tongue in joking annoyance. “I still have to check on him anyway.”

* * *

  
Hours went by and the weak boy once again woke from being sedated. This time, no one was in wide white room with him. Looking to his right, he noticed a corkboard with various papers pinned on it. His vision had been blurry but after adjusting to the light, he could make out a few words on the papers.

  
“Dong Si Cheng” “28” “Dancer” “Car accident” “Brain injury”

  
“You’re awake again! That’s excellent!” A noisy figure with a stethoscope hung around his neck stood before Sicheng. “I’m your doctor, Kim Doyoung. It’s your first time to see me but I’ve been watching you for 3 months already. I’ll have to check on you first” Doyoung continued to check his vitals, talking to the nurse beside him from time to time.  
“Did I die?” Doyoung was surprised at the question thrown at him. Sicheng reached for his head with trembling hands. Slowly, his hands gripped his hair although they had no force on them whatsoever. “Taeil will get mad at me… I ran away… I said I wouldn’t go out.. He’ll get mad…”

  
The doctor draped his stethoscope around his shoulder as he walked towards Sicheng’s cork board. His hands roamed the board as if looking for something in the organized papers pinned on it. “Taeil? Oh here!” He unpinned a picture then turned to show it to Sicheng. “It’s him, right?” Sicheng’s hands trembled in fear upon seeing the picture. Tears flowed from his eyes as his upper teeth bit on his lower lip. “He’s outside, waiting for me to finish.”

  
Sicheng had to undergo therapy for a month until he received permission to be discharged and undergo therapy as an outpatient. Taeil took him back to their apartment.

  
Sicheng was hesitant to enter. He didn’t know if he lived there or not. He did not even know who exactly Taeil was. The older noticed that he had stopped at the doorstep. “What are you doing? You plan to spend the night there?” A warm smile followed his open arms. Sicheng took it as a sign for him to enter and fall into his embrace. The younger felt cold but familiar hands caressing his back, squeezing his sides and bringing their bodies closer. “I love you Chengie. I’m glad that you’re back.” “I.. love you too.”

  
“Welp! Settle down? We can sleep for now and order some Chinese food for dinner later.” He took the older’s words to every point. Taeil directed his moves - where his clothes were to be placed, where his shoes were, where his medicines were to be stored. Sicheng’s heart was filled with doubt and anxiety due to the unfamiliar situation but with Taeil beside him, he was thankful for the guidance.

  
They spent the afternoon in each other’s embrace. Taeil’s arms were wrapped around Sicheng’s frail body as if communicating his desire to keep the younger by his side for as long as he can embrace him. It was the first time after months that Sicheng was able to sleep soundly without waking up every hour.

  
Taeil spent the weekends at home to take Sicheng to therapy. One Saturday, he brought the boy to the center. Both were in a good mood after the session as the doctor explained earlier in the day that sicheng was improving at a remarkable speed. To express his gratitude, Sicheng offered to cook dinner to which Taeil agreed. He had not been moving around much but his newfound confidence gave him the drive to try and move more than he’s ever had.

  
The older settled on the counter to watch as the younger put on an apron. “I don’t remember you even knowing how to cook.” Sicheng stopped reaching for the pan. “I… don’t?” He dropped the wine glass on his hand at the unknown shock he felt at the older’s remark. “Who was I?” His legs gave out, leaving him leaning on the kitchen cabinet with shards of glass around. Taeil was taken by surprise at the sudden event. He rushed beside Sicheng and checked for wounds. His arms found their way around the sobbing boys’ head in an attempt to console him for the unexpected breakdown. “It’s okay baby, it’s okay. I’m here shhh. Hyung’s here with you, don’t cry.” Sicheng thrashed around, trying to break free from Taeil’s arms shouting let me go and let me die. “You can’t die, baby. I love you…” Sicheng calmed down after hearing his words. “So you can’t die.”

  
This wasn’t the first time that Taeil had to deal with Sicheng’s breakdowns so he was used to it. Sicheng ended up being tucked in bed earlier after taking his anti-anxiety pills to calm him down.

  
Their days continue like this - a cycle of momentary joy followed by disappointment and mood drops at being unable to cope with the changes that were happening to both of them. Taeil was assigned to another department which was a lot more stressful that his previous one. He started to come home later and drop on the bed immediately after. Sicheng was his usual disoriented self who barely spoke. Taeil still had to make sure he drank his medicines at the prescribed times. It was starting to wear him out both mentally and physically. Sicheng would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in a crying fit. The older boyfriend used to be able to console him and hug him tight until he was sound asleep but things were starting to change. Taeil got more annoyed and irritated with Sicheng’s fits. Their daily routine involved Taeil screaming at Sicheng for doing something wrong.

  
Few session passed by quickly but sicheng was not showing improvement, if any, he was growing worse. His hands were becoming unable to grasp things, legs barely able to carry his body weight, and memory becoming more ragged. Taeil had enough work stress to deal with to care about Sicheng’s weekly progress report.

* * *

  
One Monday morning, the older was frantically rushing after waking up late for work. Sicheng was in his usual spot on the sofa with the television on. Taeil couldn’t be bothered by preparing breakfast anymore. Anyone could see the decrease in the younger’s weight even at first glance. His eyes once twinkled every now and then but they grew darker and darker as time passed by.

  
“Lock the door, lazyass. Can’t have any more financial problems with you clinging on my back.” He reminded before putting on his shoes. The younger’s eyes welled with tears as he stared at the older by the entranceway. “What’s up with you? Tryna ask for pity now?” Sicheng gulped to gather all his courage to utter words that barely even left his lips.

“I’m sorry.”

  
“What’s the use of apologizing when you’re still here, making my life harder?” Taeil showed his back to return to fitting his shoes.

  
“I’m sorry. Don’t leave. Help me… please.” The younger pleaded with a cracking voice without moving a muscle from his seat.

  
Taeil was used to his whines by then but his being late and Sicheng giving him stress that same morning was too much for him to handle. He turned and threw his shoes off to charge towards the younger who was almost gasping for air to maintain his breathing. It was then that Taeil let his feelings out without filtering.

  
Sicheng held his small pillow tightly close to his chest, preparing for the scolding he’d get. The warmth covered his legs but he felt chills down to his spine. It had been almost 3 months since he came back but he had never seen Taeil get mad at him directly. His other hand tried to cover the stained part of the sofa beside his legs but it was too obvious to be hidden.

  
“Y’know what? I’m so tired of all these! Are you a fucking kid? How could you pee all over yourself at that age? Don’t you know that you’re an imbecile right now? You’re so fucking useless and you bring me down even further. I don’t know why you’re even here when you can go and bother your brother! I don’t even love you anymore since I don’t know when! Fuck you Sicheng, for making my life miserable.” The angry guy’s fist landed on the spot beside Sicheng ears leaving the trembling figure’s eyes shut and his eyes with unstopping tears.

  
The door hit the wall then. A familiar figure walked in at an inappropriate timing.

  
“Oh look who came!” Taeil stood on his soles to face the uninvited guest. “It’s all your fucking fault, Yuta! If you hadn’t brought him with you, I wouldn’t be suffering like this! Don’t you have an ounce of shame on you? You even found it in you to visit him?”

  
Yuta came running beside Sicheng’s trembling figure to hug him tight. His other arm pushed Taeil further to prevent physical harm towards Sicheng. Taeil walked away from the two, stopping just before the door. His hands hung on his waist as he slowly turned towards them.

  
Yuta’s fierce eyes met with Taeil’s miserable ones. “You know how much he needs you right now yet you can’t even control your temper.”

  
Taeil laughed sarcastically. “Oh so now I’m responsible for him? I don’t remember adopting such a useless bum.”

  
“TAEIL!”

  
“Fine. I’m the bad guy. It’s my smartass’ fault that he’s half paralyzed and barely able to survive on his own because I dragged him out one evening. I was also recklessly drivi-”

  
Blood was on the floor and on Yuta’s knuckles in a blink of an eye. Taeil held his nose to stop the bleeding and stood to try to throw back a punch. Instead, another landed on his cheek. Yuta ran back to Sicheng to pull him up and lead him out. They pass Taeil’s lying figure by the entranceway. Sicheng could barely look at any of them, confused by the events that unfolded before his eyes. He felt his heart pound fast when he accidentally met Taeil’s eyes.

  
“Finally! I’m so sick and tired of having you here. You can have this useless bone and flesh, Yuta. Have some shame and be responsible for your mistake.”

  
Taeil was left on the floor, with an arm over his face and tears running down his face. He had to do what was best for both of them. He knew he was unstable which was causing his boyfriend more harm than good. His stay with him barely improved his situation despite the therapies he was receiving. Maybe, just maybe, he didn’t really love him anymore like before. If he did, he would have put more effort into ensuring his recovery. But everytime he saw Sicheng, all he felt was a heavy burden on his shoulders that he could not shrug off easily. Taeil knew he was doing everything out of pity. "I never even kissed him"


	2. Stage 2: Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sicheng moves in with Yuta and Renjun cooks for him every lunch. Also, wallpapers are still a thing, right?

“I know it’s kinda cramped but your room is nice, I promise.” Yuta gripped the steering wheel tightly, looking at the mirror form time to time to check on the speechless male at the back seat. “Put your seatbelt on… please.” Both were quiet all throughout the ride except for occasional questions from Yuta which ended in dead silence not long after.

Yuta assisted Sicheng’s every move as if carrying glass. His attempts at initiating conversation before dinner were met with long stares and silence. The younger barely ate anything making Yuta worried. He coaxed him to at least put a bite more in but an unexpected outburst at the first night put Yuta in a difficult position. Sicheng pushed the spoon in front of him violently sending it flying across the table. His eyes glistened with tears despite the unchanging expression plastered on his face. He avoided eye contact with Yuta by slowly looking away subtly sniffing to keep his tears from falling.

“Sicheng.. It’s okay. I’ll clean this up. You can bathe now. I’ve prepared your bed as well.”

“Why? I don’t want this. I didn’t want to be a heavy weight on anyone. I don’t deserve this.” The tears he’d been holding back started to cover his cheeks and his breathing became ragged. “I might as well die than live a life living off someone else’s. I’d rather die…” Weak hands tried to wipe off the tears. His breathing was heavy. Ever since Taeil shouted at him earlier that day, it felt as if he held his breath, asking if he had a right to breath at all. But now that he was able to say it, his heart felt even heavier by accepting the thought of dying.

Yuta’s heart sank at the younger’s words. All the guilt he’d kept locked for so long tried to break free but he knew better than to shout back and pour his feelings at at the pitiful boy crying his heart out. He dropped the bits of food he was picking up to stand behind Sicheng. “You have to live. Live for me, Sicheng.” His arms slithered gently around Sicheng, carefully, he leaned his head on the other’s. Sicheng calmed down at the touch he’d been longing for. His thin fingers attempted to tough the olders’ placed on his chest. Yuta reacted by gently grabbing them and squeezing them reassuringly. “Let’s get you cleaned up, okay?”

Sicheng led himself to the bathroom but stopped on his tracks to look back at Yuta who was putting the dishes in the sink to be washed later. “I can’t …” He caught Yuta’s attention but looked away from the sudden eye contact. “Nevermind…” No second later, Yuta was beside him with a soft expression almost shouting, yes what do you need? “I can’t remove my clothes.” Yuta was caught by surprise at the younger’s new information. “Taeil undressed you and bathed you then?” “No. He let me bathe on my own.” A deep sigh left Yuta’s chest. Nonetheless, his hands worked on lifting Sicheng’s shirt form the hem then bending the boy’s arms to fit the sleeves. When he got to his pants, his hands hesitated to touch the button. He could feel Sicheng looking down at him. “You’re not gay?” The question had Yuta standing to give furrowed eyebrows as an answer. “This isn’t about me being gay or not! How can I not think twice about pulling someone’s pants off? My hands can’t go flying just about everywhere!” Sicheng was satisfied by the answer and shrugged his shoulders. Said hands went back to the unfinished business and successfully removed the denim. “And I’m gay… not that there’s anything wrong about a gay guy undressing another gay guy. By another gay guy, I mean you, Sicheng.”

The younger couldn’t conceal the smile plastered on his face. On the other hand, Yuta knew just from his breathing that he was smiling. An arm slithered around Sicheng’s waist while the other supported his upper body just under his armpits. It was a slow walk, much like every other movement. Yuta could feel the occasional sighs from Sicheng, earning the same sighs from him. The younger’s face did not show much of the difficulty in moving a limb but his frail body, trembling in minute movements deepened the wounds in Yuta’s heart. They reached the tub half-filled with water that Yuta prepared beforehand.

“I got really nice bath bombs. It’s really satisfying to see it bubble and let the scent fill the room.” Sicheng didn’t know how or what to respond but Yuta giggled at the other’s blank stare at him. “That’s nice.” Sicheng finally said monotonously.

“You can put one in yourself.” Yuta handed the rose-colored ball to the other hands.

Sicheng withdrew his hand to avoid touching the bath bombs. “Do it yourself please. I might mess up again.”

Yuta pushed the bombs to his hand but this time, closing both of Sicheng’s hands together to prevent him from declining. “You can do it! Because you are a winner and you can win twice, thrice, four times! But 5 times might be too much already.”

“Hyung, you’re just being ridiculous now.” Sicheng tried to hide his smile but failed when Yuta replied with a bright smile. A healing smile…

“C’mon! Say it with me!”

“Say what?”

“I always win. I win win!”

“It’s grammatically incorrect.”

“Just say it!”

“I..” He looked at the older who had been focusing on him without removing his annoyingly adorable smile. “..always win. I win win.” Ah it really sounded ridiculous but it might have been the most different conversation he’d had since being discharged from the hospital. Taeil barely allotted time to talk to him or even look at him.

“Good boy.” Yuta reached up to pat sicheng’s head then proceeded to gently caressing his soft hair slowly coming down to stop on his cheek. “You’ll get over this, I promise I’ll be with you.”

“And I’ll win win no matter what.”

“You’re my winwin” Yuta smiled taking back the bath bomb to place it in the tub by himself. “I’ll do this for you for now.”

* * *

The first time Yuta brough winwin (he officially adopted this nickname) to his rehabilitation session, they got lost multiple times, taking wrong turns and missing road signs. The center was situated in a mountainous area just 30 minutes away from their current apartment. Sicheng had a smile every time Yuta talks to himself to navigate through the mountain roads. “Hyung,... you look stupid.” His comment earned him a glare and a silent treatment until they reached the center on top of the mountain. “They just had to build this here, did they?” Yuta clicked his tongue then faced winwin to show his pout of disapproval.

A nurse approached them, immediately strapping a harness around sicheng waist with 5? 6? Mini straps. “Does he have to wear a belt? What are these straps for?” The nurse giggled at his question but recovered not later to answer. “It’s so we can hold on to him easily while he walks.” Yuta nodded earnestly then crept behind sicheng’s ear to whisper. “How come you don’t have one of these at home?” Sicheng did not respond. Instead, he smiled at the nurse to signal him that he’s ready to enter the facility.

Yuta was lead inside to the lobby by another nurse who gave him a report of winwin’s previous sessions. A few minutes later, Dr. Kim approached him with a sharp look. “New caretaker, I presume?” The boy who was busy flipping through the papers stood bow at the doctor whose teeth reminded him of rabbits. “Nakamoto Yuta. I’m Sicheng’s friend. I was… with him during the accident.” He earned a simple nod from the doctor. “Kim Doyoung. You can call me Doyoung. I am Sicheng’s doctor. Where’s Moon Taeil then?” Yuta tensed at the question, taking long to formulate his answer. “He got assigned to a different branch so he asked me to take care of Sicheng instead.” He was obviously unconvinced by the reason but asked no further questions. “I hope Sicheng is adjusting well to the new environment. He might ask from time to time where he is or if he’ll be home soon if he wakes up disoriented by the new environment. Put a clock and calendar all over the house to help him orient himself when you are not around. If possible, put instructions on appliances that he can use at home. How long has he been in your care?”

“Since last Monday, sir.”

“I see… 5 days then.” He stopped to think for a while. “Please be careful in handling him as his body is still too weak to move too much. Feed him vegetables and make sure he takes his vitamins and supplements on time. Again, put a timetable for his medicines so that he can administer them himself.”

“Thank you. I’ll do everything to help him!”

“Let him do things on his own. It is inevitable for him to feel useless when someone is always there to assist his every movement. It’ll be nice to prepare meals that he can just reheat and prepare easily. Further stress might bring more harm so be careful with your words as well.”

After 2 hours, Sicheng comes out to the lobby with 2 nurses assisting him. Another came up from behind him to hand a report to Yuta. “We included some instructions there. Please do them religiously. We would also like to request a short report on his progress the next time you come here which is next Saturday.” Yuta listened carefully and nodded, occasionally asking questions regarding the instructions handed to him.

The ride back home, Winwin had his eyes fixated on Yuta. The older did not seem to be bothered by it but asked anyway. “What’s the matter?”

“My harness. I left it at Taeil’s place.”

“Do you want to go get it?”

“No… Taeil doesn’t want to see me.”

“We’ll just go buy a new one. Don’t worry Winko.” Yuta assured him with a pat on his head and a soft pinch on the cheeks. “Let’s get coffee on the way?”

* * *

“What are you doing?” Sicheng asked.

“Hold this up to your face, okay?” Yuta commanded.

The younger followed hesitantly.

“Smileeee.”

1...2...3… His camera phone clicked.

“I’ll post this on my instragram, ‘kay?” He showed the picture to the subject with a bright smile, obviously proud of his work. “How lucky are you to be the 100th customer today and receive a plushie?”

[Lucky 100th customer of the day!](https://78.media.tumblr.com/a88f11046c040416cfdf0cade5bc04d0/tumblr_om930zgLzc1vhs9wqo5_400.png)

A month of living together and both have adjusted already. They set up a routine that helped Winwin move around on his own when Yuta was away for work.

* * *

On the first day of the routine that Yuta thought of based on the instructions of the rehabilitation center, Sicheng woke up to an alarm clock angrily flashing 7:00 a.m. Beside the clock was a sticky note that read, "Don't oversleep. Get up with the crutches beside your bed and have breakfast in the kitchen."  
True enough, beside the bed were his crutches with another sticky note that unnecessarily said "Winwin's crutches" which earned an early morning smile from the sleepyhead.  
Thinking he was left alone, Sicheng got up with all the energy he had without bothering to take his crutches. His steps were careful as he also focused on maintaining a good posture. Before reaching the kitchen, he had to walk past the living room where the TV was on. He shrugged it off thinking Yuta just forgot to turn it off before leaving for work. The pancakes smell attacked his nose meters away from the kitchen. On the counter was a stack of pancake that Sicheng wasn’t sure how to fit into his stomach. Another plate of sliced fruits was just beside the pancakes and a glass of water to complete the meal.

As he approached the set meal, another sticky note in bright yellow met him that read “BREAKFAST FOR YOU”

Winwin helped himself to the breakfast. Taking one bite after the other, he suddenly remembered not being able to remember where he put his meds last night. He stooped down his chair, moving carefully towards the kitchen’s drawers. Why is he not surprised to see a sticky note? “Your meds are not here. It’s in the cupboards to your left.”

“The first ones are cute. This is just downright creepy right here.” He mumbled to himself. The cupboards were a few inches too high for Sicheng’s maximum reach capacity but he still tried to no avail. A sudden click of the bathroom door just across Sicheng’s current position made him turn his head suddenly only to be met with a half naked Yuta. Sicheng felt his heart skip a beat due to the delicious breakfast- ok no. His heart skipped a beat from the shock of seeing his friend half naked with only a white towel wrapped loosely around his waist. If he could easily pink his cheeks, he would have done it but he only started to question if he really been paralyzed fully.

“Oh what a failure. I knew something was off. I’ll put down your medicines so you wouldn’t have to reach for them everytime.” Yuta commented for what felt like hours of conversation to Sicheng then hung a towel over his head to dry off his hair.

“I… I thought you were off for work.” The boy, still in shock, managed to let out.

“Oh no. I’ll go tomorrow. I called in sick today.”

“But you’re not sick.”

“Well, they don’t have to know.”

And just like that, Sicheng spent another day cooped inside the apartment with Yuta. Just like every night, they watched a movie before bed time because of one time when Sicheng accidentally said that he missed watching movies before going to bed. Sicheng can’t say it’s too much but Yuta insisted that they should watch a movie every night since that day.

That night’s movie was a Chinese movie that Yuta randomly picked from a movie rental shop. Yuta’s eyes were sparkling when he showed it to Winwin, proudly proclaiming that he did his best to find it in the confusing chinese movies area. The older was enthusiastic until halfway through the movie when he fell asleep leaning on the grinning younger’s shoulder. Winwin noticed his hyung who fell asleep and decided that it was time to finish movie night since he could not even understand the movie that used a different Chinese. But since Yuta was practically shining, he could not find it in his heart to tell him that. Sleeping in the bed was ideal but Yuta was too sound asleep to move to the bed. Sicheng closed his eyes, leaned his head on the older’s head and slept with the gentle raindrops hitting their windows.

* * *

Magically, (obviously Yuta carried him) Sicheng woke up in his bed with the same alarm from yesterday. He remembered that he’d be alone so he took the wake up note’s instructions to heart and grabbed his crutches to help him navigate throughout the house. Upon entering the living room, Yuta’s figure which sat by the entranceway in the middle of tying his shoes greeted him a bright good morning. “I thought you’d sleep in!” He exclaimed. “ But anyway, I got you oatmeal for breakfast. You haven’t met him yet but I asked our cute neighbor to come over to bring you lunch at around 11:30. Just let him in after asking if he will answer your question. It’s him if he answers with ‘Why should I answer?’ Make sure you take your medicines. The timetable is on the fridge.”

Sicheng replied with his usual nodding expression with a slightly noticeable smile. Yuta felt like a mom, sicheng thought, not that he remembers ever having one. The next minute, Yuta was in front of him, patting him on the head. “Take care. I’ll be back by 7 and we’ll have dinner together.”

* * *

The clock struck 11:30 but sicheng was still asleep on the sofa. He fell asleep amidst a television drama about a girl worrying that her boyfriend was cheating on her. Sicheng was not such a fan of such romcoms. All he wished for was to be able to play games like he used to but he’d been taken off tablets and phones as per doctor Kim’s orders.

As expected, by 11:31, a knock disturbed the silence in the apartment - an angry knock to be precise. The speed, intensity, and feelings poured into every pound on the wooden door increased by the minute. 11:40 and finally, Sicheng got up to open the door.

“Didn’t you have to ask me something before letting me in?” A small man just reaching Sicheng’s shoulders stood before the door with a pot of some unidentified food greeted the sleepy boy.

“Ah! Right. Wait here please.” Sicheng took 2 steps back to let the door close between them. “You can knock now.”

The annoyed boy outside the unit knocked.

“Who’s there?” Came from the other side.

“Definitely not the same person from seconds ago.”

“Oh- where did he go?”

“Seriously?????” Renjun barged into the unit, missing sicheng’s nose with the slamming of the door by .00001 cm. “It’s a surprise that you haven’t been robbed”

Renjun helped himself to the kitchen. He set down the pot and carried on with preparing the utensils and checking if there was rice in the rice cooker.

Sicheng felt inhumanely slow upon seeing the lively boys antics in the kitchen. “Ah!! I knew it! You’re our cute neighbor who will come over to bring me lunch at around 11:30. [Just let him in after asking if he will answer your question. It’s him if he answers with ‘Why should I answer?’] Yuta hyung told me” Sicheng suddenly exclaimed when he figured that the pot contained actul edible food.

“Again, I’m surprised that you haven’t been robbed. Anyway, Yeah. I’m Renjun Huang. I heard that you’re from China?

“I came here for college.”

“I see. My parents are from China as well but I’ve never been there my whole life.” The cute little boy who was in the middle of washing the dishes from breakfast coolly said.

“Are you my cook?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ll cook lunch for me everyday, right?”

“And I’m _your_ cook because of that?

“Chef?”

A sigh of giving up escaped from Renjun’s lips. “Yuta hyung pays me to do this, so I guess that makes me your cook every lunch.”

No further bickering followed the conversation - or Yuta thought as he listened to Sicheng telling him about that day’s lunch scenario. Not even a week into the routine and Sicheng and Renjun got along _really well_ already. So when the day that Yuta told Winwin that Renjun won’t be coming over for lunch came, Sicheng was taken aback. “He said he has a date with some Jeno guy.”

“..... he’s gay? Everyone’s basically gay.” Sicheng nonchalantly commented.

A finger stopped the Chinese boy’s lips from commenting any further. “I’ll be your chef for today. Wait for me, ‘kay?” Yuta’s bright smile shook the sleepiness off Sicheng’s brain and eyes.

“How about work?”

“It’s okay. I’d rather eat with you than spend another hour of staring at a computer in my small ass office cubicle.”

“.... uhm. Okay. Thank you Yuta hyung. I’ll wait for you then.” Sicheng smiled in anticipation for the lunch that was merely hours away.

“You’re smiling more… That’s great, Winko!”

“I guess I’m feeling a lot better?”

“Okay, I’m off then!”

Before finally closing the door, yuta turned back to shove his wallpaper on Sicheng’s face. “LOOK! I forgot to show you this! Isn’t it cute?”

[Good Morning Angel](https://em.wattpad.com/51f4a22a31e2666acf97915d3f5f2027b5df3a09/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6c45504d475f6a4246596f4a4a773d3d2d3433313838303539392e313463636161653336643533383630653532303734323137313734332e6a7067?s=fit&w=720&h=720)

“That’s me though… the one I sent when you wouldn’t believe that I’m eating the apple”

“I know!”

“I thought it was cute so I set it as my wallpaper.Well.. if that’s okay with you.”

“Hmm” He hummed to show that he’s thinking about it though he knew his answer already. “I’ll send you new ones everyday if you want.”

The rest of the day was torture for Yuta. His phone’s home screen must have given up on his already if 8:30 came and sicheng had not sent his breakfast picture.

* * *

True enough, the next session after the flirti- lunch promise scene reported great improvement in Sicheng’s general well-being.

“You’re doing well, Nakamoto-san.”

“..... Don’t be weird.”

“Fine fine. Anyway, Sicheng is seriously doing a lot better compared to… anywhen that I remember. He’s talking more and motivated to finish his therapy sessions. A nurse even told me that he asked if he can recover fully soon. At this rate, we believe he’ll heal in 4 more months.”

Yuta’s ears flew in excitement and his eyes grow big at the good news brought by the kind doctor. He’d been asked the same question by sicheng but was unable to answer. The next time it happens, he thought, he’d be able to assure Winko that his recovery is coming soon.

“The report I told you about last time, did you do it?”

The Japanese brought out a neat diary with detailed entries, not a day missing. “I put everything I thought was great!”

Doyoung flipped through the pages and stopped somewhere in the middle to read an entry. “I appreciate your effort but we don’t need to know how long he took to bathe. I can imagine you staring at the door waiting for him to come out. Get a life sir.” He closed the diary with both hands and flipped his coat to bid farewell to the boy who was in a shade of pink.

“What was that?” sicheng came up from behind in a wheelchair.

“Dr. Kim asked me to make a report about your progress at home.”

“Oh! The nurse told me to keep one too since I can move my arms well already!”

“That’s great!” The older exclaimed excitedly. “Let’s get you one on the way home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I'll update on Monday but I was just too excited for this chapter huuhuh
> 
> I AM STRUGGLING WITH THE INSERTING OF AN IMAGE WOW

**Author's Note:**

> I'll post updates every Monday! do leave comments~ i love reading and replying to them UwU. Thank you~


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